Thursday, 17 November 2016

Film Openings - Genre Analysis

Conventions to take note of:

  • Shot Sizes
  • Shot Angles
  • Shot Durations
  • Transitions & Overall Pace
  • Sound Effects
  • Use of Music
  • Title Fonts & Colours
  • Colour Palette & Lighting
  • Setting
  • Types of Characters & their contents
  • Storyline/Plot Development
  • Overall Tone/Mood/Atmosphere

Film 1 - The Judge

  • Guitar music starts playing with black screen
  • Close up of glasses - opening shot
  • Low key lighting on close ups - earthy colours, warm
  • Font - White, All Capitals, Clear
  • Establishing Shot - Long Shot
  • Long Shot - Showing Setting of Scene
  • Music with faster pace/busy - busy place
  • Men's toilets - bright lights/cool - represent his character
  • Character is a lawyer - Suit
  • He is important - High angle/Over the shoulder shot

Film 2 - Forrest Gump

  • Long durations - Opening shot - Set slow pace
  • Calm music - Piano
  • Ambient sound - Feather goes to ground
  • Font - White, Clear
  • Bright Lights - Warm Colours
  • Setting - City/Large Town
  • Characters waiting at bus stop
  • Character - Forrest - Simple
  • Tone - Warm, not Threatening

Film 3 - The Time Travelers Wife

  • Opens with violin music
  • Oprah Singing - Warm/Happy
  • Low Key Lighting - Night Time
  • Warm Colours
  • Christmas Time - Snowing
  • Ambient Sounds - Cars/crashes/window smashing - Sharp Sounds
  • Font - Yellow Text on Dark Screen
  • Transitions - Slower at beginning - got quicker
  • Eye Level Camera Angles
  • Smaller Shot Sizes
  • After accident - Larger shot sizes
  • Overall tone - tense, threatening, worried for boy

Film 4 - The Descendants

  • Low ambient sounds before we see what is happening
  • Long duration shot of woman on speedboat - Close up
  • Happy/Upbeat Background - Contrasting to what's happening
  • Hawaii Setting - Flowers Background
  • Characters - Find out who they are from voice-over
  • Long Shots of people in Hawaii
  • Tone - Grim

Film 5 - The Age of Adelaine

  • Tense/Slow music opening
  • Narrator
  • High angle/Birds eye angle of city
  • Font - White/Small/Non-intrusive/Handwriting type
  • Characters - Adelaine - Mysterious/Smart/Not a Cop
  • Overall Tone - Serious/Mysterious/Intriguing

Film 6 - Life of Pi

  • Establishing shot - Long shot
  • Music - Calm/Cultural
  • High Key Lighting - Bright
  • Setting - Zoo/Animals/Cages
  • Font - Traditional/White/Yellow
  • Very slow pace
  • No Characters yet - Three minutes in
  • Overall Tone - Calm

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